A New Beginning?
by Dragonrider2203
Summary: A sequel to 'The End' Arthur and Merlin are struggling to restore the trust that had existed between them. Some A/M slash at the end. Please read and review. Summary at the beginning for those who haven't read 'The End'
1. The Story So Far

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters**

**This is a sequel to "The End?" and, like most sequels, probably rubbish.**

Merlin lay back on his small but comfortable bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about all that had happened in the past few weeks:

_Only a month ago Merlin had saved Arthur's life yet again, this time by jumping into the path of three daggers aimed for the prince's back. He had had to use magic to reach Arthur in time, but Uther had seen him and had ordered him arrested as the warlock collapsed into Arthur's arms. Merlin was locked away in the dungeon and only Gaius was allowed to see him, because Uther wanted him alive to make an example of. Everyone was shocked at what had happened, but none more than Arthur. He, Morgana and Gwen hatched a rescue plan; only to discover that the king was one step ahead of them….he wasn't going to let a devil like Merlin escape. The boy's wounds quickly became infected and he succumbed to fever, despite everything Gaius did. Over the next few days many rescue attempts were made (and foiled), and Merlin grew steadily worse. The physician came to the conclusion that the boy had decided not to fight the infection, knowing he would be killed anyway and wanting to save his friends from watching it happen._

_That night Arthur, Morgana, Gwen, Gaius and the Great Dragon had all be woken by a ghostly apparition of Merlin, saying his farewells. Fearing it was already too late, Arthur and Morgana begged the king to be allowed to see the warlock; they promised to obey Uther completely once Merlin was dead. Seeing the pain in Arthur's eyes Uther agreed. They had rushed down to the dungeons to find Merlin lying still as a corpse, with Gaius hopelessly tending him. Arthur, Morgana, Gwen and Gaius sat and waited, until one by one they dropped off to sleep, leaving Arthur in a lone vigil. As soon as he realised he was alone, he held Merlin's hand to his chest and pleaded with him to return, because Arthur needed him._

_Waiting in darkness and agony, Merlin heard the prince's voice, which lifted him back to the surface. He had to come back: for Arthur. He woke to find a weeping prince kneeling beside him. It was all Arthur could do to avoid shouting in joy and both men fell into a deep, healing sleep. The others found them there the next morning and Gaius discovered that Merlin was already much better. But now all they had to do was save him from Uther's clutches. It was Merlin who eventually came up with a plan._

_Arthur, Morgana and Gaius dined with Uther that night, who was convinced the sorcerer would be dead within a few hours. While that was happening, Gwen rescued Merlin from his cell (the guards were asleep) and took him up to Arthur's chambers. Alarm bells rang and Uther ordered Arthur to search for the sorcerer; but first the prince dashed to his rooms and helped Gwen hide Merlin in a secret chamber in his room. Merlin remained hidden there as he regained his strength, while Arthur continued the "search"._

_Two weeks had passed and Uther had all but given up the search. He had decided to execute all the sorcerers he had found at once, to serve as an example. As the flames had died, a cloaked and hooded figure had stepped out of the crowd: Merlin. Before anyone could do anything, the warlock said an incantation. Purple mist had poured from his mouth and entered the ears of all present except Merlin's friends (who had covered their ears), changing their memories. And so Merlin was safe again._

The young warlock turned over and fell asleep.

**Please read and review. More chapters coming soon.**


	2. The Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters**

**This is a sequel to "The End?" and, like most sequels, probably rubbish.**

Arthur was drunk for the fourth night in a row. Merlin had enlisted Gwen to help drag the semi-conscious prince up to his bed.

"Thanks a lot Gwen. I swear he gets heavier the more he drinks." Merlin said as he pulled Arthur's boots off. They left him as comfortable as they could, before retiring to their own beds. As soon as the door closed behind them the prince sat up, as sober as when he woke up that morning. He got out of bed and went to stir up the fire. Once the flames were dancing merrily he sat back in his chair and stared blankly at the wall: thinking.

_Why didn't I choose to forget?_

When Merlin had come up with his plan he had offered them all a choice: remember or forget? They all took a day to think it through. Arthur had thought it would be better if he remembered but now he was regretting it.

_How can I trust him anymore?_

Arthur had trusted Merlin with his life but Merlin had kept this deadly secret from him. Uther had always taught him that magic corrupts. So what would happen if Merlin turned bad? With these thoughts swirling around his head, his eyes closed and he dropped off.

Merlin entered the room the next morning to find Arthur fast asleep in his chair...again. Arthur seemed to be training harder, and then getting more drunk than usual since "the incident" as Merlin privately dubbed it. He placed the prince's breakfast on the table and shook his master's shoulder. Arthur groaned, opened his eyes and wordlessly took the hangover cure that the warlock was holding out. Merlin helped him dress for training in silence. Arthur left and Merlin took his laundry to the washerwomen before heading back to his small room with a chainmail shirt to clean. As he rubbed oil into the links, the repetitive task allowed his mind to wander.

_I thought he needed me_.

This thought occupied all of the warlock's waking hours and kept him awake at night. Merlin had come back because Arthur needed him. But ever since "the incident" Arthur had hardly said a word to him. Any of the usual banter between them was for show and it was obvious to anyone who knew them well that there was a tension in the air whenever the two of them were in the same room.

After a week both boys were beginning to show the strain. The prince was used to hiding any emotions or weaknesses, so the only signs were faint bags under his eyes and a distant air. Merlin, however, was showing it much more. He still wasn't fully recovered from his wounds and his preoccupation was preventing him from sleeping and eating properly. As a result he was losing weight, and starting to look haggard. But the worse effect was that the warlock's magic was weakening. Spells the boy had used routinely to complete his chores became incredibly difficult and Merlin had just about given up using his magic at all.

_Many leagues away someone was watching, and planning._

**Please read and review. More chapters coming soon.**


	3. The Switch

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters**

**This is a sequel to "The End?" and, like most sequels, probably rubbish.**

Arthur had come to a conclusion: he needed to talk to Merlin. This conversation was going to be hard and no way could it take place inside the castle; so Arthur and Merlin went hunting.

"There he is!" Merlin cried, pointing towards the stag as Arthur kicked his horse in pursuit of the deer. It took the warlock a few seconds to get his horse to follow, and by that time the prince was out of sight. The bay horse cantered through the forest, swerving between the trees, as Merlin urged it on. He caught sight of Arthur only a few paces behind the stag, preparing to make the kill. But suddenly the animal swerved to the right, causing the prince to overshoot. He yanked his horse's head around and raced off after his prey. Merlin quickly followed but was thrown from the saddle as his horse reared up, and Arthur disappeared from view yet again.

The prince was completely focused on the stag running in front of him. It was such a relief for him not to be worrying about Merlin and he was enjoying himself. He knew he would need the adrenaline buzz he got from charging through the forest to give him the courage to face Merlin. Arthur was so focused on the deer that he failed to notice the branch that suddenly appeared at chest height. He fell backwards off his horse and lay winded in the leaf litter.

"Myna abor foil." Arthur gasped as tree roots snaked up and over his chest, waist, knees and feet. "Arthur Pendragon. I've been expecting you." Arthur lifted his head up just enough to see a beautiful, dark-haired woman standing over him, a wicked smile on her face.

"What do you want?" Arthur demanded, still the arrogant prince despite his helplessness.

"You, of course" was the reply. "I wish you to be my guest for a while. I'll try my best to make it as _comfortable_ as possible." With that Arthur's world turned black as Nimueh held up her hand.

Merlin looked up from where he had fallen. His horse had bolted as soon as he left the saddle, leaving the boy with a clear view of the cause. An adder was staring at him from on top of a fallen log. Merlin stood up slowly, not taking his eyes off the snake. As he backed away the serpent relaxed and slithered off, leaving Merlin wondering where on earth he was? And, more importantly, where was Arthur?

When Arthur woke up, all he could see was a rocky pool directly in front of him. He was sitting against a cold, damp stone wall, inside a cave by the looks of it. He groaned and tried to stand, only to find his arms and legs restricted by chains. They allowed enough length for him to reach the pool and he immediately drank his fill. As he wiped his mouth, a high, cruel laugh echoed around the cave. Arthur leapt to his feet and reached for his sword, only to find it was imbedded in the ground well out of reach.

"Be at peace, Prince Arthur. I'm not going to kill you. I just need you out of the way for a bit." Nimueh explained, standing calmly before her prisoner.

"You may drink from the pool when you wish, and food will appear regularly. I'll even provide you with entertainment!"

She walked over to the water and waved her hand over it. The surface rippled, and then darkened to show Merlin standing in the forest, looking around. Nimueh then walked over to Arthur, who was staring at the pool. Stroking his cheek, she plucked out some of his hair, causing the prince to jerk around and raise his arms in self-defence.

"That's everything I need. Enjoy your stay, young prince."

As the sorceress turned away, Arthur saw her add his hairs to a goblet. She drank the potion and the prince watched in amazement as her hair shortened, turned blonde and her body changed shape. When she turned back, Arthur found he was face to face with...himself. A wave of her/his hand changed the tattered red dress into a tunic, leggings and a chainmail shirt, identical to what Arthur was wearing. Smiling cheerily, Nimueh/Arthur strode out of the cave, pulling Arthur's sword out of the ground as she passed.

Merlin had been searching for nearly a quarter of an hour with no sign of Arthur. A rustling in the bushes caused him to spin, eyes turning golden as he prepared to defend himself. He relaxed as a familiar figure pushed its way through the bushes, leading two horses behind it.

"I think you might have lost something" said Arthur, handing a set of reins to his manservant. "We had better be getting back to Camelot; it's getting dark." Merlin obediently mounted his horse and forlornly followed the prince back to the castle.

**Please read and review. More chapters coming soon.**


	4. Suspicious Behaviour

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters**

**This is a sequel to "The End?" **

**Sorry this chapter is a bit short, will get more exciting in the next chapter. **

Merlin sat in his room, trying to get through the massive pile of armour Arthur told him to clean. After that he had to clean Arthur's chambers, muck out his horses, walk his dogs, do his laundry and about a hundred other things. Over the last couple of days, things had been the same between the two men, except that Merlin's workload increased daily. Merlin wasn't sure why (or how) Arthur made so much work for him; he just assumed it was more evidence Arthur didn't need him. The prince had spent a lot of time each day going hunting, but this time not taking Merlin along.

More drastic changes came the next day. Merlin spilt a glass of wine in Arthur's chamber and earned an unexpected whack around the head. Not a playful clout like he was used to from the prince, but a full-on blow which sent him crashing to the floor.

"Clean up that mess, idiot. You are the most useless servant ever!" Merlin hurried to wipe up the wine, using his scarf as a cloth. Arthur shouted at him to get out, aiming a kick at him when the servant wasn't fast enough for his liking. Over the next few days the blows rained down, until Merlin was covered in bruises. Arthur would suddenly flare up at the smallest mistake, shouting at and hitting the warlock until he followed out the man's orders precisely.

Merlin's friends became worried as the warlock grew daily more despondent. Gaius treated Merlin's bruises but could do nothing to heal his spirit. Gwen tried to talk to him about it but all she got in reply was that she wasn't to worry, and that Arthur was just in a bad mood that day; all said with false cheeriness. Morgana went straight to the source.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Morgana shouted, standing right in front of where Arthur sat.

"I'm eating my dinner. What does it look like?" he replied calmly, picking up a grape from his plate.

"Can't you see what you're doing to Merlin? He's wasting away!" Morgana began to pace up and down.

"Why should I care? He's only a servant." Arthur watched her, his lips twitching as he suppressed an evil smile.

"We both know that he's more than your servant. He's saved your life so many times, and now you're ruining his!" With that Morgana stormed out.

_In a cave not that far away, the real Arthur watched everything in despair. It looked like he was going to lose his friend all over again._

**Please read and review. Sorry for what I'm doing to Merlin but it's got to get worse before it gets better.**


	5. Training

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters**

**This is a sequel to "The End?" **

"Get a move on idiot! I want to get on with my training." Arthur was standing in his chambers as Merlin rushed around tightening straps and adjusting chainmail. Every time his fingers fumbled, the warlock cringed, expecting to be hit or kicked. But Arthur was too busy admiring himself in the mirror and practicing cuts and slashes. When Merlin was finally finished, Arthur slapped him out of the way with the flat of his blade. As he left the room, he called back.

"Go and get some armour on and meet me at the training ground in ten minutes. I need someone to warm up on."

While Arthur was waiting for Merlin, he did a few practice moves. At one point he stumbled, causing a nearby knight to involuntarily snigger. The prince immediately challenged the knight to a duel. Merlin emerged from the castle to see both men with their swords drawn, circling each other. He quickly pushed through the crowd, wanting to protect Arthur despite how he had been treating him. The knight suddenly charged, bringing his sword round for a side-swipe. The prince blocked it easily, lifting both swords round to the other side. The fight continued like this for a good five minutes before the other knight brought it to an abrupt end. He easily tripped up the prince and put the tip of his sword at Arthur's throat. A gasp rose from the crowd that had gathered; No one had ever beaten Arthur in a practice fight since he was ten (except Lancelot). The prince clambered angrily to his feet and grabbed Merlin's arm, dragging him away to a more secluded part of the grounds. Gwen looked after them worriedly, but had to attend to Morgana.

Arthur threw a sword at Merlin as they reached the edge of the ground. The warlock scrambled to pick it up, knowing the prince was in a foul mood. He brought it up to protect his head as a forceful blow came from above. Swinging the swords away, Merlin took a step back before having to defend himself from a sideways cut. Merlin could tell at once that Arthur was nowhere near as good as he usually was, which was puzzling, but still much better than Merlin. The younger man held his own for about 30 seconds before Arthur landed a heavy hit to his arm. A loud crack made it obvious that Merlin's arm was broken, but Arthur kept going. His eyes glinted red in his fury as he showered blows down on his servant, who was desperately trying to shield himself. The fight ended when Arthur's arms could move no more, and Merlin lay unconscious on the grass.

Arthur stalked back to the castle. No one stopped him as he crossed the courtyard and made his way to his chambers. Gossip travelled quickly through the castle so everyone knew what had happened, and everyone knew that Prince Arthur would be in a massive temper. Gwen, however, was more worried about where Merlin was. She was expecting him to have come back with Arthur, but there was no sign of him anywhere in the castle. She ran down to the training ground, where she had last seen them. Walking in the same direction the two young men had, she caught a glimpse of red in the shadow of the trees. She ran over and dropped down by the still form of her friend. She was relieved to see Merlin's chest rise up and down, but there was no way she could get him back to Gaius. Leaving her cloak to keep the warlock warm, she ran up to hill shouting for some guards.

_Back at the cave, Arthur looked on horrified as Merlin was beaten by...himself. He wept at the thought of anyone causing harm to his best friend; especially that everyone would think he did it._

**Please read and review. **


	6. False Apologies

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters**

**This is a sequel to "The End?" **

Gaius heard someone shouting his name, and then Gwen burst into his chambers followed by two guards. They carefully placed the unconscious young man on the bed in the main chamber while the physician rushed about collecting remedies and the maid ran to fetch water. The guards left and Gaius began cleaning up Merlin's wounds.

"Is he alright?" Gwen gasped, dashing in with a bucket of water.

"Most of the wounds look superficial and will heal by themselves. He has a broken arm though, and a mild concussion. He should be up and about by tomorrow, although that arm will be out of use for at least a month." Gaius replied, gently wiping blood from various cuts.

"I can't believe Arthur would do such a thing to him" Gwen said angrily, moving to Merlin's other side to help the physician.

"We don't know for sure it was Arthur. What happened will have to wait until Merlin wakes up."

"It was Arthur. He just attacked me and wouldn't stop. It was like something had possessed him." Merlin related his story as he sat at the table with his arm in a sling. Gwen had to prevent herself wincing whenever she looked at the myriad of cuts and bruises covering the warlock's body.

"Trust you to still be sticking up for Arthur, even after what he did to you." Morgana sat opposite him, watching him with concern.

Arthur sat up in his room, thinking through his plan. The warlock was now weak enough for there to be no chance for him winning a duel between them. However, today had proved that his friends were incredibly loyal and they would certainly not let Arthur near Merlin anytime soon. So the prince would have to figure out how to get the boy out of the castle and kill him, without anyone suspecting him. He raised his hand and the fire in front of him flared up as there was a knock on the door.

"Prince Arthur? The King wishes you to attend him in the great hall immediately." A voice called out.

"I'll be there momentarily" Arthur called back, smiling as an idea struck him.

"I hear that Sir James beat you in a fight today. And that you beat your manservant to unconsciousness directly afterwards." Uther sat in his big chair, watching his son, who stood in front of him.

"I am afraid I am having a bit of a bad day, father." Arthur said unrepentantly.

"Princes do not have bad days, and they do not take their anger out on their subjects" Uther growled.

"What? And you don't take your anger at losing my mother out by burning innocent people?" Arthur replied sarcastically.

"How dare you?! I am ridding this land of magic so the people may live in peace!" Uther stood up and marched up to his son.

"No. The people are living in fear. And you are creating more and more enemies!" Athur stood stock-still, refusing to give in. Uther brought his voice back down to a normal level and faced his son.

"You will go and congratulate Sir James and then apologise to your servant, or you will be staying in the stocks for the next week! Now get out of my sight!"

"As you wish, Sire." Arthur turned and stalked out of the room.

Merlin started as there was a loud knock on the door to the physician's chambers. Calling for them to come in, he carried on stirring one of Gaius's potions. The physician himself came out of one of his storage cupboards to see who the visitor was.

"How can I help you, Prince Arthur?" he asked, subtle hostility in his voice.

"I need to talk to Merlin."

"Let him in Gaius" the warlock called out before the physician could say a word. Gaius moved out of the prince's way silently, watching his every mood. Arthur sat down opposite his friend, looking shocked at the other man's appearance.

"I came to say that I'm so sorry for what I did to you. It's just that every time I see you, anger just fills me up. I can't believe what I did to you yesterday; I just couldn't stop myself." The words came pouring out at super-speed but Merlin got the gist. He looked Arthur in the eyes, deciding that he told the truth.

"Look, I don't really feel comfortable discussing this here" Arthur said, shooting a look at the still suspicious Gaius. "I'll be in the clearing in the forest for the next hour, if you want to talk. If you don't, I'll never bother you again." Arthur bowed, and walked out.

"Surely you don't believe him?" Gaius burst out, walking to stand beside Merlin.

"I don't, but something's not right with him. I need time to find out what." Merlin stood up, grabbed his jacket and limped out.

"_Merlin! Don't go! She'll kill you! Merlin!" Arthur yelled and banged his fists on the walls, cursing his helplessness. He could only watch as his dearest friend walked into a trap._

**Please read and review. Sorry I'm being mean to Merlin but it mostly gets better after this.**


	7. Reunited

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters**

**This is a sequel to "The End?" **

"Arthur!" Merlin called out, twigs snapping as he entered the clearing. The prince was facing away from him, watching the birds in a nearby tree.

"Merlin. What a surprise." Arthur said, still looking in the opposite direction.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"You must be a real idiot if you haven't caught on already. So much for the all-powerful warlock."

"What are you on about?" This ended in a gasp as Arthur turned to face Merlin, a fireball in each hand.

"Don't you know who I am?" Arthur's voice changed. It became higher pitched and more feminine.

"Nimueh!" breathed Merlin, drawing on his remaining dregs of magic as he spoke.

"Ignis!" shouted Nimueh/Arthur, throwing the balls of flame.

"Contego!" Merlin threw up a shield. The flames wrapped around it but did not penetrate. The warlock reached for his magic again to retaliate, but lost his hold on it. The Arthur that stood before him may be Nimueh in disguise, but she still looked like Arthur. Every instinct in Merlin's body told him that he mustn't hurt the prince. It was so bad that there was no way he could even touch a hair on Arthur/Nimueh's head.

The real Arthur watched in anguish as Nimueh/Arthur threw spell after spell at Merlin, who got slower and slower and slower at deflecting them.

"I can't let him die. I can't lose him!" Arthur told himself. He had been working one of chains loose, when he wasn't watching Merlin. Now anger gave him strength. He pulled on the chains so hard that, one by one, the links snapped. Then Arthur ran, blood dripping from his wrists and ankles where the manacles had cut him. He ran in a straight line; his heart knew where Merlin was.

Merlin flew backwards as one of Nimueh/Arthur's spells finally penetrated. He crashed into a tree and slumped to the ground. The sorceress advanced on him, chuckling cruelly.

"There's no one to save you now. Poor little warlock." Lightning crackled between her/his fingers as she/he stood over the boy. Merlin closed his eyes.

WHUMPH!

He looked up to see Nimueh/Arthur staggering backwards, clutching her/his stomach, as a man with a scraggly beard and a dirty red tunic stood over him.

"Arthur?" Merlin croaked out. The man turned and smiled at him before turning his attention back to Nimueh, who had removed the glamour of the prince. Arthur advanced on her, swinging the chains that still dangled from his arms. One hit her in the legs, the other whacked her shoulder. Nimueh retreated, limping and holding her shoulder.

"You beat me this time, but next time you won't be so lucky." Shouting an incantation, she disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

**Short but sweet. Please read and review. Only one chapter to go, which contains some A/M slash especially for DementedViper.**


	8. Heart to Heart

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters**

**This is a sequel to "The End?" **

Bringing his arm down from over his eyes, Arthur turned and knelt next to Merlin. The two sets of blue eyes looked deep into each other, tears shining in both.

"Is it really you?" Merlin whispered.

"Of course it is, idiot." Arthur replied, bending closer. "Would Nimueh do this?" He bent further, and before Merlin could do anything, their lips brushed together. Arthur immediately jerked back, shaking his head as if waking up from a trance. "Oh God. What was I doing?" he exclaimed, looking slightly stunned.

"Arthur, it's ok, really." Merlin whispered, also looking shocked, but happy.

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked, a worried look on his face. Merlin nodded and they moved into a passionate kiss. When they broke apart Arthur turned all practical. "We need to get back to the castle. We'll freeze out here when it gets dark." He helped Merlin to his feet and the men leaned on each other for a moment, both exhausted.

"I'll take those off" Merlin said, pointing to the manacles around Arthur's wrists and ankles. He ran the hand of his good arm over the cuffs and whispered a few words. There was a muffled clink as the chains fell away.

"Your magic is back?" Arthur said inquiringly.

"How did you know it was gone?" Merlin asked.

"There was a pool in the cave. Nimueh cast a spell on it so I could see everything you did." Arthur spun the warlock around and looked him in the eye.

"You didn't really believe it was me, did you? You know I'd never hurt you. You mean too much to me." Arthur interrogated, gripping Merlin by the shoulders.

"I thought something was wrong but I was confused. You had been so cold to me since _it_ happened. I thought you didn't want me around anymore." Merlin replied, unable to meet Arthur's eyes.

"But you stayed anyway? Even when that _witch_ started hurting you."

"I had to protect you. It's my destiny and..." Merlin's voice faded away.

"And what?" the prince asked. Merlin replied so quietly that Arthur had to bend in close to hear.

"I love you." the warlock whispered, eyes downcast. Arthur pulled his head up and they shared another lingering kiss.

"I love you too, idiot." Arthur answered, looking into Merlin's eyes and willing him to believe. They stood, locked deep in each other's eyes for several minutes before Arthur shook himself out of it. Using each other for support, they limped back to the castle.

Gwen sat at the seat in the window of Morgana's chamber, sewing forgotten as she watched for any sign of Arthur or Merlin returning. Gwen had turned up at the physician's chambers only ten minutes after Merlin left and Gaius had told her the whole story. Unable to do anything about it she had gone to attend Morgana. Gwen abruptly stood up as she saw two familiar figures limping through the castle gates. Without saying a word she ran out the room, closely followed by Morgana.

"What have you done to him now..." Morgana had started rounding on Arthur as soon as she saw him, but stopped startled as she noticed the prince looked very different to the one she had seen at breakfast that morning.

"I've been chained in a cave for a week and this is the welcome I get?" Arthur grinned at her.

"But... who was the other guy then?" Morgana said, looking very confused.

"It was Nimueh. She used a potion to look like Arthur." Merlin replied. It was obvious to Morgana that Merlin was feeling much better, and the look that shot between the two men spoke a million words to the very perceptive woman.

"We had better get Gaius to check you both over. Gwen, go and warn him. I expect the full story when he says you're fine." She walked ahead of them, opening doors.

An hour later, Gaius had given them a clean bill of health and they had all had the full story, barring some of what had happened after Nimueh disappeared. Arthur was called to see his father, to explain his recent behaviour and Merlin was told to go and rest. Later that evening, Merlin volunteered to take a salve for Arthur's wounds up to him. When he returned several hours later, Gaius only raised an eyebrow knowingly, then turned over and went back to sleep.

**The End**

**Hope you enjoyed my story. Many thanks to DementedViper and Myrmidryad for their avid r&r's. **


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